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Courtney Barnett and Tim Rogers Win At J Awards

Two of Melbourne’s greatest musical exports won at the 2015 J Awards held in Sydney this afternoon.

Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit took out Australian Album of the Year.

Speaking to Veronica & Lewis on triple j, Barnett exclaimed, “I’m very excited and honoured to win this award. It’s amazing. It’s a nice feeling for something that you’re not really sure when you write, I guess, how far it’s going to reach and who is going to find it interesting.”

Richard Kingsmill said, “The thing that has always impressed us about Courtney, ever since we first started playing Lance Jr back in 2012, was her distinctiveness. The unapologetic Australian accent was part of it, but her songwriting has always been outstanding.

“She writes with a mix of insightful observation, stream of consciousness, humour and lots of clever word play. We think this album is special stuff and the way it’s resonated around the world this year has been fantastic for both Courtney and Australian music in general.”

Tim Rogers took out the Double J Australian Artist of the Year. It's been a busy 2015 for him, collaborating with The Bamboos on The Rules Of Attraction, translating his debut solo record to a 90-minute theatre work via the What Rhymes With Cars & Girls project at Arts Centre Melbourne, expanding his talents to jingles and working on You Am I’s tenth album.

Earlier this year, Rogers told ABC-TV’s 7.30 about his continued love for songwriting: “Just for the feeling when you're in the thick of it. In the midst of it, you feel worthwhile ... and really excited. It's beautiful, intricate, intellectually stimulating. Music written, performed, imagined, but there's also a fantastic troglodyte-like two-chord thuggery that I find equally as beautiful.”

A third Melbourne creative, film maker Natalie Erika James, won the Australian Music Video of the Year for electronica-art project Life Is Better Blonde’s debut track Mine.
Perth band Tired Lion was lauded as Unearthed Artist of the Year. Throughout 2015, they toured the country twice, opened Splendour In The Grass, released a second EP I Don’t Think You Like Me, did the Violent Soho/Smashing Pumpkins mash-up for Like A Version, and in September signed with UK booking agency X-Ray Touring.